Mohamed Salah admitted a mutual desire to be the star scorer of Liverpool turned out to be a source of tension in his relationship with the former teammate Sadio Mane.
Alongside Roberto Firmino, Salah and Mane formed a devastating attack trio that came to define Jurgen Klopp time in Anfield. The two wingers have accumulated an incredible number of goals, but have often faced charges of being selfish when it was a question of helping the other score.
Salah and Mane shared the Golden Boot Award from the Premier League with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2018/19 after winning 22 goals, the two desperate Liverpool stars to score goals and be the star of the team, and Salah admitted that this has often led to uncomfortable interactions with Mane.
“Yes, there was a tension with Sadio,” he said Football from France. “Be careful, we were professionals until the end, I don’t think it affected the team.
“It is human to blame more, I understand that, it is a competitor. Out of the field, we were not very close, but we have always been.”
Salah previously admitted that he was perhaps “selfish” towards Mane sometimes, but insisted on statistics – his 18 assists for Mane in particular – prove that he was always willing to make the right decision with Liverpool in mind.
“People can think what they want is their right,” he said. “But I invite everyone to note that the person who provided the most help is me.
“We can look at the facts, but it is obviously easier to throw sentences like that; it makes the headlines, I know how it works. As long as it remains within the limits of respect, it suits me. But that does not mean that this opinion is true. At the end of the day, I know what I did, and my conscience is clear.”
